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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

The first initial reaction I tend to get when people find out that I still carry my baby blanket with me, and use it as a comfort item, is generally one of surprise. At 19 they expect me to have already gotten rid of it or kept it in storage somewhere like most people do with their childhood belongings. I used to feel embarrassed that I was older and still carrying around a ratty, old blanket from my childhood, but I’ve learned to accept it.

 Even now, I still feel a little bit of panic when I can’t find my blanket, because it’s so attached to me. It’s just like how someone feels when they don’t have their phone or wallet—the feeling that something important is missing. While I don’t take it with me everywhere like I used to, it’s something that I always have when I need it.

My mom got the blanket from an old co-worker of hers at the baby shower her company threw for her. I’ve tried looking up the blanket to see if I can find it online anywhere or at least find where it came from, but I have yet to find anything that looks like it. When I first got it, it was  bright purple with multicolored hearts all over and stitching along the edges. I used to call it my “gee,” which originated from trying to call it my blankie as a toddler. I’m not sure when the switch from “gee” to just calling it my blanket happened, but I suppose at some point in high school “gee” felt too childish. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it used to anymore. It’s become well-worn from years of taking it everywhere, dropping it on the ground, having pets, and just messing it up myself. It’s very faded and looks more gray than it does purple, unless it’s recently been washed, and the stitching got torn apart a long time ago. It’s not a perfect square anymore, but some undefinable shape with different strings hanging off of it. Even though it isn’t perfect, and I don’t carry it around with me as much as I used to, it’s still one of the most important parts of my life. 

It’s gotten me through some of the biggest transitions in my life. My mom said I was a super easy baby to transition through different phases, like switching from baby food to regular food and going from a crib to a mattress. She thinks it’s because I had my blanket with me through it all. Even in my transition to college, I had my blanket with me and it made me feel less scared than I would’ve been otherwise without it. 

When I was younger and my relatives would come over, they’d always be shocked  I still had my blanket around. They were always wondering when I’d finally grow out of it and put it away in storage somewhere. Even now, I don’t think that I’m ever going to get rid of it. It’s gotten me through so much—it’s pretty much a family member in my life. I know it’ll be with me when I move into my first apartment next year and I know it’ll be with me when I graduate from college. 

No matter what happens in my life, I know that I’ll always have a little piece of home with me and that will forever be my greatest comfort. 

Alana Maschmann

CU Boulder '28

Alana Maschmann is a 1st year at CU Boulder majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Her articles will range from celebrity news to music or movie reviews to relationship advice. She is currently pursuing a degree to be able to work as a pediatric audiologist. Alana likes to watch movies in her free time with her cats curled up by her side. Her favorite movie is Howl's Moving Castle based off of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. When writing, Alana likes to listen to various indie pop artists to be inspired by their lyricism.